2024 Nzérékoré stampede

2024 crowd crush in Guinea

2024 Nzérekoré stampedeDate| 1 December 2024 (2024-12-01)

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Location| Nzérékoré, Guinea
Coordinates| 7°45′29″N 8°49′3″W﻿ / ﻿7.75806°N 8.81750°W﻿ / 7.75806; -8.81750
Cause| Tear gas launched by police amid fight between rival football fans
Deaths| 56 (official)
135 (reported)[1]
Non-fatal injuries| Unknown

On 1 December 2024, a stampede and crowd crush occurred at the Stade du 3 Avril, a football stadium in the Guinean city of Nzérékoré, resulting in at least 56 deaths.[2] Civil society groups said at least 135 people died, most of them children.[1]

## Venue

[edit]

The Stade du 3 Avril, the only stadium in Nzérékoré Prefecture, has been in poor quality for multiple years. Renovation work started on the stadium in 2008, but was later halted, in part due to political instability. The stadium was reported to have a muddy field, half-finished roof, unfinished stands, and unbuilt bathroom facilities and ticket offices.[3][4][5] Although athletes continued to train and play in the stadium, the structure was also reported to be used by local drug users.[5]

Local authorities had been trying for years to secure funding to improve the structure.[4]

## Events

[edit]

On 1 December 2024, a football match between teams from Nzérékoré and Labé[6] was held at the Stade du 3 Avril[7] as part of a tournament organised in honour of the country's president, Mamady Doumbouya. The tournament had been criticised by opposition groups as an attempt to advance Doumbouya's "illegal and inappropriate candidacy" in upcoming presidential elections.[2] Between 20,000 and 30,000 spectators were in attendance,[8] which was "much larger than the stadium's capacity".[9]

In the 82nd minute of the match, the referee controversially gave a red card to a Labé player and a penalty to Nzérékoré.[6][7] Fans of Labé swarmed the field and threw stones.[7] According to local media, security personnel then used tear gas in an attempt to disperse the crowd.[7][8][10] Spectators began to flee the stadium, heading to the structure's two exits.[11] This led to a stampede and a crowd crush in and around the gates to the stadium, where many of the casualties occurred.[7][8] Other spectators scaled the stadium walls to escape, with some deaths being reported from falls.[11] Children were reportedly among those killed.[8]

The dead and injured were brought to the Nzérékoré regional hospital, where doctors were reportedly overwhelmed.[11] Soldiers were posted at the hospital to discourage family members of the victims from swarming the facilities.[8][11] Due to overcrowding, some families opted to have victims moved to private clinics.[11]

As of 3 December, 56 deaths have been confirmed by the government. A collective of civil society groups said at least 135 people were killed, citing information from hospitals, witnesses and relatives.[1] More than 50 others are believed to be unaccounted for.[12] The High Council of the Diaspora, a group of Guineans living abroad, released a statement claiming the incident had led to 300 deaths, with hundreds more injured. Due to varying reports on the scale of the tragedy, the Guinean government warned that anyone publishing “unverified or malicious information” about the incident would face arrest.[13]

## Aftermath

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Following the incident, rioters set fire to the police station of Nzérékoré.[2] Internet access to the region was restricted.[11]

On 2 December, a number of people moved to leave the city for the towns and villages surrounding Nzérékoré.[14] Checkpoints were set up throughout the city and most stores were closed.[8][14] Many schools were closed, or teachers did not come to work.[14] Churches and mosques remained open.[14]

Schools and shops were again closed on 3 December.[11] According to local journalists, at least 25 burials of victims had occurred by 3 December.[11]

The Guinean Football Federation[6] and the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) sent condolences to the victims' families.[15]

### Government response

[edit]

Prime minister Bah Oury announced an investigation into the disaster and expressed condolences to families of the victims. The opposition National Alliance for Change and Democracy attributed "significant responsibility for these grave events" to authorities.[6]

On the evening of 2 December, a government delegation visited the city and met with some of the victims' families.[11][9]

Three days of mourning were held from 3 December.[8]

## See also

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* Guinea portal

* List of human stampedes and crushes:
* Hillsborough disaster – a similar disaster at a football game in the United Kingdom in 1989 due to police failings rather than supporters' behavior.
* Port Said Stadium riot – a similar disaster in Egypt in 2012 that involved the use of tear gas toward rioting supporters.
* Kanjuruhan Stadium disaster – a similiar disaster in Indonesia in which rioting football fans were tear gassed by police.

## References

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1. ^ a b c "Civil Society Groups Say More Than 56 Dead In Guinea Stadium Crush". Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
2. ^ a b c "Dozens dead after stampede breaks out at Guinea football match". Al Jazeera. 2 December 2024.
3. ^ "N'Zérékoré : Les travaux de reconstruction du stade arrêtés, les autorités tirent sur la sonnette d'alarme. !" [N’Zérékoré: Stadium reconstruction work stopped, authorities sound the alarm. !]. Guineefoot (in French). 29 April 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
4. ^ a b Diallo, Pathé (11 October 2023). "Stade du 3 avril de Nzérékoré : le directeur préfectoral tire la sonnette d'alarme" [Stade Du 3 Avril De Nzérékoré: The Prefectural Director Sounds The Alarm.]. PLANETE 7 (in French). Retrieved 3 December 2024.
5. ^ a b "N'zérékoré : le stade du 3 avril et la maison des jeunes, dans un état de délabrement très avancé" [N’zérékoré: the April 3 stadium and the youth center, in a very advanced state of disrepair]. Lolaplus. 4 July 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
6. ^ a b c d "Dozens killed in crush at Guinea football match". BBC. 2 December 2024.
7. ^ a b c d e Egbejule, Eromo (2 December 2024). "At least 56 people killed in crush at Guinea football stadium". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
8. ^ a b c d e f g "Panic among spectators at soccer game kills at least 56 in the West African nation of Guinea". AP News. 2 December 2024. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
9. ^ a b "Guinée: trois jours de deuil national après le drame de N'Zérékoré et l'ouverture d'une enquête" [Guinea: Three days of national mourning after the N'Zérékoré tragedy and the opening of an investigation]. RFI (in French). 3 December 2024. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
10. ^ Maroosha, Muzaffar (2 December 2024). "Dozens crushed to death in stampede at Guinea football match as pitch invasion ends in tragedy". The Independent. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
11. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Bousculade meurtrière au stade de Nzérékoré en Guinée : 'Au moins 25 corps ont déjà été inhumés'" ["Deadly stampede at Nzérékoré stadium: 'The eldest fell on his little brother's neck, he died'"] (in French). BBC News Afrique. 2 December 2024. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
12. ^ "Relatives hunt for the missing after Guinea stadium crush amid fears official death toll is too low". Associated Press. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
13. ^ "Guinea rights groups say death toll in stadium stampede too low". Al Jazeera. 4 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.`{{cite news}}`: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
14. ^ a b c d Diallo, Mamadou Yaya (2 December 2024). "Lendemain du drame au stade du 3 avril de N'Zérékoré : notre constat dans la ville" [Aftermath of the tragedy at the April 3 stadium in N'Zérékoré: our findings in the city]. Guinee Matin (in French). Retrieved 3 December 2024.
15. ^ Nwoke, Chidi (3 December 2024). "CAF Sends Condolences To Victims Of Guinea Stadium Tragedy". Voice of Nigeria. Retrieved 3 December 2024.

* v
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Crowd collapses and crushes

List of fatal crowd crushes

19th c.|

* 1807 Newgate Prison
* 1823 Valletta
* 1876 Brooklyn Theatre
* 1883 Victoria Hall
* 1896 Khodynka

20th c.|

* 1902 Shiloh Baptist Church
* 1903 Iroquois Theatre
* 1908 Barnsley Hall
* 1913 Italian Hall
* 1927 Laurier Palace
* 1943 Bethnal Green
* 1946 Burnden Park
* 1954 Kumbh Mela
* 1964 Estadio Nacional
* 1965 El Progreso Bullring
* 1967 Atatürk Stadium
* 1971 Ibrox
* 1974 Zamalek
* 1977 Xinjiang 61st Regiment Farm
* 1979 The Who concert
* 1981 Karaiskakis Stadium
* 1982 Luzhniki
* 1985 Heysel Stadium
* 1987 Shanghai Lujiazui
* 1988 Dasharath Stadium
* 1989 Tbilisi
* 1989 Hillsborough
* 1990 Mecca
* 1991 Oppenheimer Stadium
* 1992 Mahamaham
* 1992 Bastia
* 1993 Lan Kwai Fong
* 1994 Mecca
* 1994 Gowari
* 1996 Haridwar and Ujjain
* 1997 Uphaar Cinema
* 1998 Mecca
* 1999 Sabarimala
* 1999 Nyamiha (Minsk)

2000s|

* 2000 Durban
* 2001 Mecca
* 2001 Ellis Park Stadium
* 2001 Accra Sports Stadium
* 2001 Akashi pedestrian bridge
* 2003 E2 nightclub
* 2003 The Station nightclub
* 2004 Mecca
* 2004 Miyun
* 2005 Mandher Devi temple
* 2005 Al-Aaimmah bridge
* 2005 Chennai (November)
* 2005 Chennai (December)
* 2006 Mecca
* 2006 PhilSports Stadium
* 2008 Bandung
* 2008 Naina Devi temple
* 2008 Jodhpur
* 2009 Houphouët-Boigny
* 2009 Mawazine

2010s|

* 2010 Kor Royal Cup
* 2010 Pratapgarh
* 2010 Love Parade
* 2010 Phnom Penh
* 2011 Sabarimala
* 2012 Port Said Stadium
* 2012 Satsanga Deoghar
* 2013 Houphouët-Boigny
* 2013 Kiss nightclub
* 2013 Kumbh Mela
* 2013 Madhya Pradesh
* 2014 Mumbai
* 2014 Stade Tata Raphaël
* 2014 Patna
* 2014 Multan
* 2014 Kwekwe
* 2014 Shanghai Bund
* 2015 30 June Stadium
* 2015 Haiti
* 2015 Mina
* 2015 Colectiv nightclub
* 2017 Turin
* 2017 Mumbai
* 2018 Caracas
* 2018 Corinaldo
* 2019 Antananarivo
* 2019 Karbala
* 2019 Caracas

2020s|

* 2020 Kerman
* 2020 Maligawatta
* 2020 Los Olivos
* 2021 Meron
* 2021 Astroworld Festival
* 2022 Vaishno Devi Temple
* 2022 Yaoundé
* 2022 Port Harcourt
* 2022 GBLA Stadium
* 2022 Giza
* 2022 Kanjuruhan Stadium
* 2022 Seoul
* 2023 Basra International Stadium
* 2023 Pakistan
* 2023 Sanaa
* 2023 San Salvador
* 2023 Brazzaville
* 2024 Hathras
* 2024 Mumbai
* 2024 Nzérékoré

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